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Topic: Caerphilly #7 Adorned (Read 2118 times)

Thought I'd share the stages these cheeses seem to go through just in case anyone tried this at home.

I like doing these Caerphilly Adorned cheeses so far. My first one turned out so beautiful that I had to see if I could replicate it whenever I want. I use the leaves from the Scented Cranesbill plants that grow in my gardens. They are evergreen to a large extent although I'm not sure what they're up to now under a couple of feet of snow.

Soooooooo, first I make a Caerphilly cheese and let it dry a day or so. Then I smear raw honey all over it. The leaves have been vacuum bagged flat then frozen and then thawed. This makes them quite limp which makes this adornment process easier. The leaves will adhere to the cheese because of the honey. The honey however mostly drips off. During the summer humidity the leaves stuck fine but in the winter dryness there have been some challenges.

The rind care of the first one involved a couple of honey applications and a couple of olive oil applications and a lot of careful wiping down with a salt, white wine and water brine. With the leaves there it's not possible to do a simple brushing off because the leaves would get lost.

I get a fair amount of blue mold that returns again and again on this cheese but it does wash off and eventually is not an issue.

This cheese was made about December 6th and I dab away the blue mold every few days. I've done 2 (or was it 3) honey applications so far. The cheese stays in a cake caddy that is pictured also. There is a grid and mat to keep it up off the bottom of the platter. In this winter air the cheese has experienced some drying out. The honey helps with this. I'm learning to look at this cheese and assess what it needs in order to keep heading in a good direction of rind health. This batch had initial trouble with the leaves not sticking well. This has shifted and now they are doing okay but the leaves are not holding up as well. Last batch I did an olive oil application and I haven't done that yet on this one but it's my next option to try. Notice how dry the rind is after the mold is washed off. I think I should have oiled this a week ago. And this is different than the last one because this one has some B linens appearing on the bottom as well as some geo or PC.

Note before and after photos of the blue mold. Frightening but fine.....and I hope that seeing these photos will help you move through the process of rind care with your cheese if you want to try this.

The first one I made like this is almost all eaten and it was tasty and beautiful. Hope to repeat it with this one. Wish me luck!!!

When the snow melts I'll send you a small bit of plant that you can tuck in somewhere. they are a nice underplanting for roses or shrubs although they are beautiful on their own. Nice flowers, no care. low ground cover except during bloom. If you still want some in the spring, send me a message with your address and I'll send some out.

Yes, and the background rind becomes like antique parchment paper. I really do like the visuals and flavor of this batch. I'm considering using some Meyer Lemon infused olive oil on this next. Still thinking about the flavors colliding and how that might work out.

Thank you, Boofer! No, the whole caddy doesn't fit in my small wine fridge but it does fit into the entire cold room of the cellar that I've taken over. Summer will be a rude awakening when I am back to the wine fridge at the same time as more goats being in milk. I'm hoping for some kind of miracle before then. Not sure what kind of miracle, I'm open to any that solve this space problem!

You're always welcome to any trade Blunders secrets. I'm not sure if it's audacity to delve into untrod territory or lack of ability/coordination to step in others' footprints. . I learn by watching the amazing things that others are doing and then getting creative. it's because I learn from others and benefit from their shared stories that I can step out even a little further and still have some traction. (except with slippery cheese)

When the snow melts I'll send you a small bit of plant that you can tuck in somewhere. they are a nice underplanting for roses or shrubs although they are beautiful on their own. Nice flowers, no care. low ground cover except during bloom. If you still want some in the spring, send me a message with your address and I'll send some out.

Thanks a million Tiarella. I'll check locally as we may already have them here. We have rain forests and bigfoot here so there's no telling what all grows here.

Update on this cheese. It went through a bunch of stages with B. linens showing up, me allowing it, washing it at times, lots of baby blue molds or yeasts (not sure which), then some olive oil rubs, some salt and then finally (and wait, this run-on sentence WILL actually end within your lifetime!) I annointed it with olive oil infused with Meyer lemon as I mentioned I might. It looks a bit gnarly and it certainly has that antique look! It's 2 months old, or would have been in a few more days.

Soooooo, I opened it and the paste is creamy, tight textured, luscious and has an amazing flavor from that Meyer lemon infused oil!!! It's a winner! The first hint was that I couldn't stop tasting it. It's got a different texture than any of my others. It tastes like a cheddar with a bit more lemony bite. The rind looks like crusty.....I had done a pretty, and maybe too thorough, washing job to knock the B. linens down a bit. I am happy and relieved. I'm very tired and don't feel like dragging the vac sealer out from under the daybed to seal the rest of this baby up but I'm going to. It's got a lot going for it and I'm thinking of all the places this will go....family, friends, the bakery where I barter, etc.

Awww, thank you, Boofer! I wish you could taste it and give me your opinion. My Sweetie is off dairy right now and living in the middle of nowhere has it's disadvantages when I want someone else's taste buds to weigh in on a cheese. I'm going to try some other infused olive oils in time......not sure what yet. The taste needs to be strong enough to show up in the cheese yet not so strong as to beat out the original cheese flavor. This one worked out well.....Thanks again!

Very nice cheese! I think of caerphilly as a nice plain cheese for snacking and nibbling on for a treat, but you've taken it to new heights and got it all gussied up. A cheese to your efforts and excellent outcome.

- Jeff

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The wise do not always start out on the right path, but they do know when to change course.

Thank you, Jeff and HKJ! This one looks a bit strange and that's because when the B. linens got a bit out of control I did a thorough, perhaps too thorough wash and the outer later of rind came off although unevenly. It is lovely to taste. I need to get a recipe for quinoa savory muffins from my friend. She says it's perfect for cheeses that don't come out well but I bet it'd be wonderful for those that do taste good too.